Visitors danced to the sounds of traditional Cape Verdean music and savored dishes ranging from kale soup to the Cape Verdean codfish-based dish "bacalhau" during the Onset Cape Verdean Festival on Sunday.

"I come for the good food, the good music, and to meet all my beautiful family and friends. You can't beat it," said Jackie Serrano, who was "born and raised" in Wareham but now lives in San Francisco, California.

Reuniting with family and friends is a huge part of the appeal of the festival, said Anthony "Tiny" Lopes, public relations officer of the Onset Cape Verdean Festival Association, which has coordinated and raised funds for the festival for the past 10 years.

"People plan their family reunions around this," said Lopes, adding that members of Cape Verdean communities from as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada and Canton, Ohio come to the festival.

"Once you come here, you will never miss another one," Lopes added. "Once we get you, we get you."

Lopes estimated that 11,000 people were at the festival by early afternoon. The festival was postponed from Saturday because of concerns about rain. A parade, planned for the morning, was canceled due to rain.

Members of the Global Education Team made a float to participate in the parade. The Wareham Public Schools program aims to prepare students for the diverse environment of the 21st century.

Team members made the best of it, however, and parked their float in the shade on Union Avenue next to the festival. They then talked to passersby to spread awareness about their upcoming trip to Cape Verde next year.

"We hope the community can see what we're doing with it, and how we're really involved, and hopefully support us with it," said Sam Brogioli, a Wareham High School senior and president of the Global Education Team.

Team Advisor Wendy Brogioli said the group has been focusing on Cape Verde as part of its ongoing global education studies.

"Since Wareham has such a large Cape Verdean community, it is important for us to connect," Brogioli said.

Dozens of musicians played the soft tunes of traditional and contemporary Cape Verdean music, which could be heard drifting throughout Onset Village. The performers serenaded the crowd from the stage in both English and Cape Verdean Creole.

Sometimes they came off of the stage, too. Ritinha Lobo, who came all the way from Portugal to perform in the festival, could be seen with microphone in hand twirling around dancing fans as often as she could be seen on stage.

If visitors weren't gyrating their bodies to the music, they were savoring the Cape Verdean and American food.

At one booth, members of the Wareham Athletic Association served up a Cape Verdean rice dish called "jagacida," grilled linguiça, and "munchupa," a bean and linguiça soup, among other offerings.

All proceeds from the sale of the food went to support athletics in Wareham Public Schools and academic scholarships for students, said Darcy Fernandes, a member of the Association.

Julie Johnson, whose 10-year-old son Myles Johnson is half Cape Verdean, brings her son to the festival to experience something he doesn't always get to experience at home.

"He gets to learn about the culture and enjoy the food that his mother doesn't make," she said with a smile, adding that she has come to the festival for as long as she can remember.

"I think it's important for the kids growing up to learn about their roots and their heritage," Johnson said. "That's why I make sure he comes to experience it."

The festival has been in existence for approximately 20 years, said Lopes. Ten years ago, the present day Onset Cape Verdean Festival Association took over, and jump-started the festival by raising $30,000 in less than three months, said Lopes.

Now, for the past few years, the festival has attracted more than 20,000 visitors. This year's postponement produced lower numbers of people, however, Lopes added.

The festival featured approximately 90 volunteers, 22 food booths, and 74 vendors, Lopes said. This year, the association coordinated four shuttle buses to bring visitors from Lopes Field and the Dudley L. Brown VFW.

The association donated approximately $24,000 to different organizations this year, Lopes noted. It also awarded eight college scholarships to graduating students from Wareham High School and other schools, Lopes said.

"I love seeing all the Cape Verdeans gathered together. … It's a really nice time. I think everybody should come here," said West Wareham resident Wendy Monteiro. "That's the gist of it. Just to be together."